Charging device for machine guns



Filed March 2l. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 23, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,471,348 PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. PAULUS, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

UHABGING DEVICE FOR MACHINE GUNS.

Application tiled March 21, 1923. Serial No. 626,532.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES LEIGH PAULUs, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing' at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n ChargingDevices for Machine Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the charging mechanism of machine guns andespecially for aerial machine guns which are flexibly mounted.

The main object of the present invention is to produce a mechanismespecially adapted for 'use in connection with the thirty caliberBrowning machine gun adapting such gun to be charged by the use of theleft hand of the gunner. A mechanism of this type is found toV benecessarywhen using the gun flexibly mounted as 1n an airplane forexample, due to the fact that the right hand of the operator is used tocontrol the butt of the gun, and the left hand is used to control theflexible type of ring mount on which the gun is supported, it beingconvenient to also employ the left hand to operate the chargingmechanism. l

A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism of thecharacter above referred to, which is uick detachable and at the sametime capa le of being mounted upon the gun with absolutely no change inthe gun parts. V

A further object in view is to provide char 'ng mechanism of suchcharacter that the c arging stud of the bolt of the gun is free to movebackward and forward and is entirely unhampered.

A further object of the invention is to so construct, arrange andcombine the several parts of the charging mechanism that they may bedisassembled without the use of any tools whatsoever.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the bolt ofthe gun may be locked inV its most rearward position to facilitatedisassembling.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention .consists'in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement herein fully described,shown and clalmed.

In the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a Brownin machine gun, showing insection the parts o the improved charging mechanism.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation which it is attached.

In the drawings 5 designates a portion of the frame of a flexiblymounted machine gun. .Said frame is providedin one side with the usuallongitudinal slot 6, in which the charging stud 7 which projectslaterally from the bolt of the gun is movable freely back and forth. Theun is formed in the opposite side thereof with the usual recesses 8 and9 and the bolt 10 to provide for the attachment thereto of the Nelsongun control trigger motor. WVhen the gun is flexibly mounted for aerialuse the trigger motor is not used and such trigger motor is thereforedetached before mounting the chargingmechanism of this invention on thegun.

In order to mount the improved charging mechanism on the un, I provide aspecially formed mounting ase or plate 11 shown in elevation in Figure 3and in section in Figures 1 and 4. Said plate is given a suitableconfiguration as shown in Figure 3 and formed with projections whichrest in the recesses 8 and 9 and also formed Withaholeto receive thebolt 10, the plate or base 11 being thus 'fa-d against movement inrelation tothe frame of the gun and being secured in such position by anut 12 threaded on bolt 10. The mounting plate or base 11 thus bears afixed relation to the frame of the gun but may be readily detachedtherefrom when necessary. Extending through the lower portion of themounting base 11 and transversely of the gun is a shaft 13, which isrotatable by means of a hand operated charging lever 14, arranged at theleft hand side of the gun or in other words, that side of the gun whichis opposite the slot 6 along which the charging stud 7 moves. The lever14 is connected to the shaft 13 in the following manner: The end of theshaft 13 adjacent to the lever 14 is formed with a transverselyextendinglmuckle 15 through which passes a pivot bolt 16, said bolt alsopassing through flanges 17 and 18 of the lever 14, whereby the lever 14is ivotally connected to the shaft 13. A loc g disk 19 is secured infixed relation to the mounting plate or base 11 and formed with lockingnotches 20, any one of which is adapted to receive a locking lip orprojection 21 on the heel end of the lever 14 as best illustrated inFigures 3 and 4. 1t will be understood by reference to the last namedfigures .that by pressing the handle 22 of the lever 14 toward the gun,the locking lip 21 will be moved out of engagement With the locking disk19. By thus unlocking the lever 14 and turning the level' through a.partial revolution, the bolt of the gun may be thrown to its rearmostposition to facilitate disassembling as will-hereinafter appear.

The shaft. 13 is formed with a hexagonal portion 22 (see Figure l) and acorrespondingly shaped hub 23V of a crank arm 24 fits over suchhexagonal portion of the shaft so that when the shft is turned, movementis imparted to the crank arm 24. The crank arm has its free endoutwardlyoffset as shown at 24 and the rear end of a slotted link 25 is attachedto the free end of the lever 24 by means of pivot 26. The arrangement issuch as to bring the inner surfaces of the crank arm 24 and link 25 tobear snugly against the side of the gun frame, against which they arefrictionally held by means of a spring 27 which encircles a 'reduced endportion 28 of the shaft `13 and is interposed between an internalshoulder 29 of the hub or bushing 23 and a cup-shaped cap 30 which isfitted upon the end of the hub 23. The end of the reduced portion 28 ofthe shaft is formed with an annular keyway or groove 31 into which isfitted al C- shaped key or lock washer 32, the escape of' which isprevented by the outward pressure of the spring 27 which presses the cap30 Ioutwardly, the cap being formed with a retaining fiange 33 whichprevents lateral movement of the key or washer 82 and consequently thedisengagement thereof from the keyway 31 in the shaft 13.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings it will nowbe seen that the improved charging mechanism may hereadily applied to I the machine gun without the use of tools and wheninV place on the gun the charging operation may be effected by the lefthand .of the gunner. leaving his right hand on th'e butt of the gun. Byreason of the same .constructionvthe entire charging mechanism may hedisassembled without the use of any tools whatever. No alterationwhatever is necessary in ,the gun itself in order to enable the,charging mechanism to be mounted and unhampered.

thereon. The charging slide or link 25 is maintained in its normallyhorizontal position as shown in Figure 2 by the action of the spring 27so that the back and forth movements of the charging stud 7 are free Byreason of the linking connection between the charging lever 14 and thedisk 19, the charging slide or link 25 may be drawn rearwardly so as tohold the 'charging stud 7 in its rearmost position,

Where it may be held by the locking means referred to.

I claim:

l. A manually operable, quick detachable charging mechanism for flexiblymounted machine guns comprising a shaft extending transversely of thegun frame, a crank arm on said shaft at one side of gun having means toretract the bolt of the gun, and a hand operated lever on said shaft atthe opposite side of the gun.

2. A manually operable, quick detachable charging mechanism for flexiblymounted machine guns tornprising a shaft extending transversely of thegun frame, a crank arm on said shaft at one side of gun having means toretract the bolt of the gun, a hand lever on said shaft at the oppositeside of the gun, a mounting base having a fixed relation to the gunframe, and a locking disk having a fixed relation to said hase forengagement with a projection on said lever.

3. A manually operable, quick detachable charging mechanism for flexiblymounted machine guns comprising a shaft extending transversely of thegun frame, a crank arm on said shaft at one-side of gun having vmeans toretract the bolt of the gun, said shaft and crank arm being separablycoupled by a non-circular telescopic joint, and a hand operated lever onsaid shaft at the opposite side of the gun.

4. A manually operable, quick detachable charging mechanism for flexiblymounted machine guns comprising a shaft extending transversely of thegun frame, a crank arm on. said shaft at one side of gun having means:to retract the bolt of the gun. said shaft and crank arm being separablycoupled together by a non-circular telescopic joint, va sealing capfitted to the `end of the shaft, meansfor holding said cap in place onthe shaft. and a spring'enclosed by said cap and 'serving to hold allparts of the, charging mechanism in assembled relation on the gun.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES L. PAULUS.

